Case Study 10

Woody Biomass in Gainesville

By Martha Monroe

Audience and Community

Projections of energy use and population growth suggested that the community of Gainesville, Florida, would soon need to consider a new source of energy. The local power plants were burning coal and natural gas, and the city council reconsidering these sources and considering wood from local forestry operations, storm damage, and restoration activities. A county-wide survey revealed that the public was not knowledgeable about using wood for energy, had misconceptions about its benefits and disadvantages, and were interested in participating in the decision-making process for a new power facility (Plate et al., 2010).

CIVIC Activities

A team from the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida organized a series of community meetings using existing organizations (e.g., NAACP, Kiwanis Club) as well as open meetings in the local library to present information from four speakers and answer questions from the audience. Speakers each took five minutes to introduce their expertise (forest management, boilers and power facilities, carbon and climate change, and woody biomass economics) and then a facilitator fielded questions. Between 4 and 60 people attended each event, which lasted no more than 90 minutes, for a total of 185 participants.

Outcomes

A pre and post survey revealed that many respondents felt more knowledgeable after the event and attitudes about using woody biomass changed as well. On the pre-forum survey, 43% of respondents felt positive about a wood-to-energy proposal. The post-forum survey allowed people to select components of an energy proposal that they would like addressed. Over 80% would feel favorable toward a proposal with the components they indicated. The team summarized both the county survey and the results of the community forums in a report to the city council who eventually approved a bid for a wood-to-energy facility (Monroe et al., 2009).

References

Monroe, M. C., McDonell, L., A. Oxarart, A., & Plate, R. R. 2009. Using community forums to enhance public engagement in environmental issues. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. 3(2): 171-182.

Plate, R. R., Monroe, M.C., & Oxarart, A. 2010. Public perceptions of using woody biomass as a renewable energy source. Journal of Extension. 48(3): 3FEA7. Retrieved November 6, 2023, from https://archives.joe.org/joe/2010june/pdf/JOE_v48_3a7.pdf